1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to precision alignment of plates and, more particularly, to a system and method for aligning and sealing plates relative to one another.
2. Description of the Related Art
In potentially very low cost manufacturing processes for displays, including liquid crystal displays (LCDs), it is desirable to provide precision alignment between plates. For example, in an LCD, a thin film transistor array glass plate and a color filter plate are aligned to a tolerance of within one micron. The alignment process is performed in air using robots and automatic optical alignment. However to achieve the required accuracy, manual intervention and adjustment is required.
The conventional alignment systems are complex and require maintenance and recalibration to ensure appropriate tolerances. Further, the conventional system cannot be implemented in a vaccuum environment which is preferable for display elements.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method for aligning and sealing plates with high accuracy using lithography. A further need exists for aligning and sealing the plates in a vacuum environment.